Yahoo India Web Search

Search results

  1. People also ask

  2. On the literal level the idea of someone wanting a pound of flesh is very strange so what does it mean? It’s another of Shakespeare’s creative inventions, and the phrase is one of his greatest plot drivers.

    • Origin of Pound of Flesh
    • Meaning of Pound of Flesh
    • Usage of Pound of Flesh
    • Literary Source of Pound of Flesh
    • Literary Analysis of Pound of Flesh
    • Literary Devices

    The origin of this phrase is taken from William Shakespeare’s play, Merchant of Venice. The character Portia says this line on the insistence of Shylock, the Jew, for the payment of Antonio’s flesh, which is a central point of the play. In Act-IV, Scene-1, Portia concludes the conflictbetween Shylock and Antonio by saying to Shylock, “The words exp...

    Something that is owed needs to be paid back at every cost. Shakespeare has coined this phrase in a figurative way, which refers to a lawful but unreasonable recompense during the late 18th century. Here, the mentioning of flesh suggests vengeful, bloodthirstiness, and inflexible behavior to get back borrowed money. In the following scene, there is...

    We can find the use of this phrase mostly in everyday life and in business language, such as when a company borrows money from another company, and if the borrower does not pay it back, then this line can become an ultimatum, or a pressure tactic. It can be used in everyday life to remind people about deferred payments. It can been used by dictator...

    Shylock expresses spiteful penalty from Antonio, and then Portia repeats his lines with a solution in Act-IV, Scene-I of Shakespeare’s play, Merchant of Venice: (Merchant of Venice. ,Act-IV, Scene-I, Lines 295-303) Antonio cannot pay back Shylock’s money and the usurer demands his flesh as a fine. Shylock could be demonic. However, Portia’s skillfu...

    The themes or central ideas of this phrase include revenge, justice, and mercy. This phrase is a figurative method of expressing a spiteful penalty or a harsh demand – the consequences of non-payment on a distressed bargain. However, the usurer Shylock asks for a real pound of flesh as security when merchant Antonio comes and borrows money. Though ...

    Symbolism: Flesh is a symbolof revenge and inflexibility.
    Tone: The toneof this phrase seems to be vengeance.
  3. A Pound of Flesh Meaning. Definition: Payment that is owed, which may be collected in a cruel or vengeful way. Origin of A Pound of Flesh. This expression comes from one of the works of the English playwright William Shakespeare. It appears in his play Merchant of Venice, from the year 1596.

  4. Aug 30, 2024 · The phrase “a pound of flesh” means a strict, exact, and often painful repayment of a debt. This idiom comes from William Shakespeare’s play “The Merchant of Venice,” where the character Shylock demands a pound of flesh from another character as repayment for a loan.

  5. The idiom “pound of flesh” has been widely used in different contexts to refer to a demand or requirement that is excessive, unreasonable, or even cruel. This expression can be found in literature, politics, business, and everyday conversations.

  6. What’s the Meaning of Pound of Flesh? The expression a pound of flesh describes a ruthless or unreasonable demand often made at great personal cost or suffering to the person expected to fulfill it.

  7. Jul 31, 2015 · Shylock hates Antonio but agrees to lend the money provided that Antonio sign a bond to yield a pound of his own flesh if he is unable to repay the loan on time. Shylock insists that the bond is a kind of joke, a “merry bond.”